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Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures

(Revised: September 1986)

The faculty of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures recognizes that instances may arise where a student feels that his or her academic performance has been unfairly or improperly graded due to prejudice, capricious changes in course requirements, inconsistency in the criteria applied to judge the student's work, or clerical error. Although an unfair or improper grade should certainly be changed, the following principles must be understood: (1) a grade given by a faculty member can be changed only by that faculty member (Faculty Code B 5.07); (2) a grade given by a Teaching Assistant can be changed only by the faculty supervisor of that course; (3) these grievance procedures are intended to result in a recommendation to change or not to change a grade, and will not supersede the faculty member's judgment of a student's performance.

If a student believes that he or she has received an unfair or improper grade for a course in this department, these steps should be taken:

  1. Within two weeks of receiving the grade in question, if possible, the student should confer with the instructor and attempt to resolve the issue. If the instructor is a TA, then the student and the TA should take the matter to the course supervisor, who has the authority to change the grade. If the student is not satisfied with the outcome of this meeting, the instructor or supervisor must make available to the student a copy of these procedures, in order that the student may proceed with the grievance properly and promptly.
  2. If the first step does not produce a solution that is agreeable to the student, then the student is to submit to the Department Chairman a written appeal, citing all relevant factors, and attach papers, homework assignments, tests, and other supporting evidence. The student must initiate this appeal no later than one week after the meeting with the instructor or supervisor.
  3. Upon receipt of these materials, the Chairman will appoint a committee to review the appeal. The committee will consist of the Chairman, two additional professors, and one student chosen from a suitable peer-group, but not from a class taught by the instructor in question.
  4. The Chairman will ask the instructor to respond to the appeal in writing; this response should be submitted no later than one week after the student has lodged the appeal. The Chairman will distribute copies of this response, of the student's letter of appeal, and of all other relevant documents, to the members of the Appeal Committee; the Chairman will also make a copy of the instructor's response available to the student, but it is the student's responsibility to obtain this from the Department
  5. Within two weeks after the committee has been appointed, the committee will conduct a hearing at which the instructor, the course supervisor (if any), and the student must be present, and at which they may present their cases orally. The time and place of the hearing will be announced at least one week in advance. It is the student's responsibility to obtain this information from the Department. If the instructor is off campus, the chairman will solicit a letter from him/her in which the instructor's position is set forth.
  6. Immediately after the hearing, the committee will consider the matter and arrive at its recommendation. The recommendation will be delivered in writing to the instructor, with copies to the course supervisor (if any), to the student, and to the Assistant Dean of Student Academic Affairs. The committee may recommend:
      a. that the grade be changed;
      b. that the grade not be changed; or
      c. that some other solution be sought, e.g. retroactive withdrawal from the course, additional time to write a paper, etc. (in the latter case, however, the committee should seek the assistance of the Assistant Dean of Student Academic Affairs).
  7. If the student is still not satisfied, then he or she may file a second appeal, this one with the Department Executive Committee, which will review the evidence, and deliver its recommendation. The student must initiate this appeal no later than one week after receiving the decision of the Appeal Committee. No further appeal is available beyond the Department Executive Committee.
  8. If the instructor refuses to follow a recommendation to change the grade, then the grade will stand. The student, however, may request that the Chairman provide him or her with a letter recording the decision of the Appeal Committee or the Executive Committee, and the faculty member's refusal to follow its recommendation. A copy of this letter will be placed in the student's file, if the student wishes.

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College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Student Academic Affairs
1255 Angell Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1003
Phone:(734) 764-0332 Fax: (734) 764-2772

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